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Chard Town in Somerset

Location

Chard is a town in south Somerset situated close to the Devon border. It currently has a population of about 12,000 and is well served by the A30 trunk road nearby although it does not have a railway station. The settlement dtes from Saxon times and its name is thought to derive from the Old English 'Ceart' meaning Broom. Chard was granted its Charter in 1234 by King John and was an important centre for textiles in the Middle Ages. The town expanded its textile and lace industries becoming an important centre in the mid nineteenth century. The current Town Hall is a former Corn Exchange and dates from 1834.